Winning Future
by Dear Aunt Elladora
Summary: [REWRITTEN & UPDATED] Julia Mason, the teenage daughter of the widowed Gavin Spinner Mason, has won concert tickets to see her favorite singer. Little does her father know that the singer will proove to be a blast from the past... Eventual Spin
1. Spilt Coffee all over your clothes

**HEY GUYS!**So this story died, but after watching the Degrassi episode on the-N this evening, I was struck with a sudden inspiration to revive it. I had to do some tweaking to get it to match the facts revealed over the last year that this had been on hiatus, but the story did no suffer! The plot is still intact, and now it's back and shiny. So read over some of the changes if you actually remember it, and if you're new, "hi!" So, reviews help, and I will update this before to long. Standard notes -- I do not own TNG, this will be spoiler free up to the season finale with Ashley leaving for London, and the pairings WILL be random. The story is Spin&Ash, and if you don't like it ... um, why would you not like Spin and Ash!

**Prolouge**

Coming into the house, I shook off the last bit of snow that had been stuck to my jacket. I hung it on the coat-rack and shut the door, locking it and throwing the bolt. It had been a hard day at work, I mused, but it was never really easy being a store manager. I was climbing the steps, thinking about my job. It was hard but it made very good profits and it wasn't half bad - enough to keep a nice house over Julie and my's head, food on the table, and nice school clothes for my growing daughter.

_I poked my head in her half-ajar door, sighting her fast asleep in her bed. I pulled the covers tighter around her and kissed her forehead, turning out her bedside lamp with a flick of my finger and marking the page in her book she'd fallen asleep on. I slid the glasses off her face and folded them on top of the closed book, smiling as I turned to leave the room._

_Everyone told Paige and I were we too young to get married - fresh out of highschool, heading into college and lucky to be. During my expulsion, things had been pretty rough on Paige in general -- I never got it all, but the details I did hear seemed painful enough. Once my extensive summer school was over and I was allowed back into Degrassi's hallowed halls, we were two older, broken people who fell right back in sync._

_But we didn't listen to their warnings, headed straight to the alter with goofy, lovesick grins and had baby Julia seven months after. Choosing to continue with school was tough, but at the time it was the most sensible option for me. We were a happy little family (admittedly, Paige and I had our traditional newlywed fights) but in my eyes, I had the best life available - that is, until Paige got sick. I had to move out of Degrassi and quit college, taking as many jobs as I could to pay our bills._

_After her death, I was miserable. But I wasn't going to allow myself, as much as I missed her, to give up - she wouldn't have wanted that. So I kept working until I got more and more promotions, raised a daughter the best way I knew how, by myself and around my job, until we were well off enough to move into a nicer neighborhood._

_She's 15 now, the prettiest girl I'll ever know. She's my pride and joy, reminding me an awful lot of Emma Nelson I used to go to school with -- pretty, stands up for what she believes in, and wickedly smart. She can handle herself and knows where she's going and I couldn't be more proud._

_I slid out of my shoes and curled up under the covers, fully dressed, and turned off my bedside lamp. She's grown up so well for a girl without a mother._

- -

**Chapter One**

Fourteen year-old Julia Mason rolled over and hit her alarm, turning on the radio to the usual loud volume she loved. She rose slowly, pushing the covers off and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. After showering, she blew her long blond hair dry and pulled it back into a ponytail. She dressed in her school clothes and descended the stairs, heading toward their kitchen.

Her dad was sitting at the counter, reading the paper, and she pecked him on the cheek and took a seat across from him. As she poured her Lucky Charms, he wordlessly handed her the Arts section and she smiled, reading and munching on the cereal. After she was done and had washed the bowl, her dad folded the paper and they headed out to the car.

He took her to school and then went to his office, prepared for another day of hard work. Today was her last day before winter break and his lengthy holiday break, so he needed to prepare the assistant manager for the workload since he was going to be with Julie for a week and a half to celebrate Christmas.

- -

His cell phone rang him out of his reverie he had fallen into while doing some paperwork. Suprisingly, he found an overly excited, breathless daughter on the other line.

"I won! Daddy, daddy! Oh my gosh!"

He laughed to himself, "Honey? Slow down, what's going on?"

"Okay, you know how the radio was having that contest, with the backstage passes and concert tickets to see AK?"

"Yes," he replied.

"I won!" She exclaimed.

He smiled brightly, happy for her fortune, "That's great! When is the concert?"

"Well, it's a little north of town with this weird name, so it's about three or four hours from here. The concert is two nights from now!"

- -

Ashley Kerwin pulled her hair back from her face in a short ponytail, having changed into her pajamas and wiped out from her concert that night. She'd been on tour for a couple months and was about to have a break before Christmas, but not after her final show.

Her manager rapped at her door and Ashley gave her permission to enter.

"Great show, doll!" the blonde said, and Ashley good-naturedly rolled her eyes.

"You _always _say that."

"Well, I'll let you get to sleep. I just wanted you to know that backstage pass winner was finally chosen."

"Really?" Ashley said wearily.

"Yeah, a fifteen year old from Toronto."

"You made sure she didn't go to school at Degrassi Community School, right?"

"I don't know why it's so important to you, but, no, she didn't go to school there."

Her manager left and Ashley turned to face the wall, shifting underneath her covers.

"You wouldn't understand," Ashley muttered before falling to sleep.

- -

The next day was a bustle of activity with Julia's anticipation and Gavin's enjoyment of the break. She convinced him she needed some new top, so after a quick stop by the mall, they departed for the concert around noon. After about three hours on the road, Spinner parked. Leaning over, he woke Julia up by poking her shoulder.

"Where are we?" she questioned dazedly, looking around.

"It's a suprise, come on, I wanna show you something," he said, removing the keys from the ignition as she rose from her passenger seat and followed her dad into the building, still slightly sleepy.

The only thing she noticed was the sunset's glare off the metal letters above the glass doors, letters spelling out she was entering 'Degrassi Community School.'


	2. I gotta wear mine now

**Chapter Two**

The halls of Degrassi looked remarkably the same to Gavin, even the distinct smells from the caf. Degrassi was obviously out for the Christmas holidays, but because of the occasional student or teacher he saw, he figured they must have kept it open for extended exams and such.

"Uh, Dad?" Julia questioned, blond eyebrows creased in confusion, "Where are we?"

He had stopped at one of the locker, and after a quick picking, it clattered open. He smiled at the fact they were the same lockers, and pointed to something on the inside. There, in a heart, were the words 'Spin & Paige.'

"We're at my old highschool!" He said as he continued walking, nearly tripping over some kids working on a project infront what looked to be the computer lad.

"Hey!" The kid, who looked middle-school aged and scrawny, said, "Watch it!"

"Back off," Julia snorted, giving the kid and death glare as he returned to his work. A head popped out of the classroom door and addressed the boy.

"Just checking on you, Theo, how --" but stopped short once he spotted Gavin and Julia.

"Issaacs?" Gavin exclaimed and Julia cocked her head to the side, studying this man.

"Spinner?" The man returned and Gavin embraced Tobey in a manly hug.

Gavin turned to Julia, smiling the 'proud father' smile that made her sick, "Julia, this is Tobey Issaacs, a former geek of these halls who turned out to actually be pretty cool. Tobey, this is Julia."

Tobey extended a hand to her and she took it, smiling because the tone in Gavin's voice had been light and complimentary rather than condescending.

"Hey," Tobey said, turning back to Gavin, "You should check out the gym. There's someone there who'll probably want to see you."

Gavin gave Tobey a goodbye after getting a quick run-over about how his newlywed wife was doing. Julia's dad seemed to be amused and still slightly amazed as he said her name, _Manny Issaacs, _but Julia didn't ask. Before too long, he had ushered Julia toward the gym, and once they reached it they found it vacant, though the lights were on.

Spinner walked the edge, spotting pictures and trophies in cases. He ran his hands across them til he found a picture of the soccer team and pointed to himself for Julia.

"Ew!" she exclaimed, studying him, "You had a tongue ring?" She questioned, for he was poking his tongue out and the offending piece of jewelry glinted. Spinner could only nod in response, "And you bleached your hair?"

Spinner laughed, pointing out other members of the team but then noticed Julia wasn't paying a bit of attention.

"Ju-lie," he said, trying to break her gaze but followed it into the court where a dozen or so boys were playing basketball. She was watching them, biting her lip in a manner Gavin could realize from his school days -- she was _checking them out. _Obviously, her sleep had worn off pretty darn well.

"Excuse me!" A stern voice called as a woman, dressed in gym shorts with a slender body and dark skin came toward them, "Practises aren't open for spectation."

"Liberty," another voice addressed the woman and an attractive, dark-skinned man in a wheelchair rolled up to them, "Give it a rest, would you? Not like they're the Bardell coaches." He looked up at the two of them, away from Liberty's stern gaze, and struck out his hand, "Jimmy Brooks, head coach."

"Jimmy!" Gavin exclaimed, and Jimmy studied it. It was a terse moment, before he finally produced a small smile, relaxing Gavin immensely.

"Good to see you, Spin," he said softly as they shook hands.

Liberty's reaction, however, was not so calm and friendly, as she shreiked"Mason?"

"Nice to see you, too, Liberty." He and Jimmy laughed, and Liberty turned on her heel to return to ridiculing the boys on the court.

"Again with the Spinner thing?" Julia questioned, moving Jimmy's attention from her father to her.

Jimmy gazed shifted between her then back to Gavin, his eyes finally resting on her again, "You must be Julia."

"Yes," she responded, shaking the hand he extended.

"Spin," he said, "She looks just like you. She's got some of Paige in her, but I'd swear she's your clone. Only ten times prettier, of coure."

Gavin smiled warmly at this and she leaned on his shoulder.

"Hey!" Jimmy perked up, "Do you two wanna come by the house? The twins probably just woke up from their naps and Ellie can try to cook something for you. She's trying the whole motherhood thing in full force so I've been eating partially burnt meals for about a week."

"Ellie?" Gavin echoed, "As in, Ellie Nash? That dated Sean? And Craig?"

"No, Spin," Jimmy responded, "It's Ellie _Brooks _now. We would've invited you to the wedding, but I didn't have your address and Kendra couldn't find it. She was just moving into James's place, and it was too much stress. You kindof up and left with out saying much of a goodbye."

"Yeah," Gavin said, studying his shoes before bringing his eyes back to Jimmy, "As much as I'd like to stop by and see how Ellie Nash could be a mother, we've gotta get on the road. Julie won these concert tickets to see this singer, AK, and we're on our way to see her."

Jimmy turned to the guys on the court, "Hey! Clark!" he shouted, and a short, olive-skinned boy who had just passed to a taller guy turned to face him. "What song does AK sing?"

After he listed the song titles, he cocked his head in Julia's direction. In response, she winked. Smiling, the boy returned to passing the ball with the others. Jimmy listened, the explained to Gavin.

"Yeah, you'll get a good show there. She's not half-bad, the guys listen to all that rock stuff on the bus. Says it gets them pumped. Well, I gotta go make sure Liberty's not being to hard on 'em, you know how she is. Good seeing you, Spin. You've gotta call me or something, really, everybody misses you."

Spinner nodded and Julia and him made their way back to the car, they were well on the road and Julia chattered distantly before popping in an AK disc into the car's stereo so her dad could get a taste of what he was in for.

But sleepiness got the better of Julia as she fell asleep on the car window, and Gavin leaned over to turn it off to give her some peaceful rest. But as he thought about it, he kindof liked the way AK sang, and left it on long enough to listen to her songs.

_"I'm a big city girl from a low key little town / Pissed off everyone and anyone who was around / Didn't believe it would get better / Stuck in cold, Canadian weather / Just feelin' sorry for myself / and falling deeper into such a mess."_


	3. You can throw me like a boomerang

_"Promise me eternity / Say whatever, doesn't matter / You could tell me the world's flatter / But I'd believe you / Say whatever, doesn't matter / Because I need you."_

Julia had woken up about a half-hour before the two reached the hotel and as they pulled into the parking lot, she squealed with anticipation. Gavin cocked an eyebrow toward her and she pushed his shoulder playfully. He carried their small supply of luggage up to their room, and changed into the clothes he'd be wearing for the concert and went down to the lobby so that Julia could get ready in peace.

It was a fairly nice lobby and he relaxed into a sofa, picking up a magazine and reading it while he waited. He was a third of the way into an article about cheating buisness moguls and celebraties going under the plastic surgeon's knife in secret when Julia cleared her throat to interrupt.

"How do I look?" She questioned, striking a pose for his judgement.

"Fabulous, dahling," he mocked, looping his arm in hers and leading her from the lobby to the car, where they climbed in and made it to the concert hall.

By the direction of the radio station's disk jockeys, he ushered her to the backstage door where they met a security officer. He found their names on the list and another officer ushered them through winding, narrow spaces backstage til they got to the room with "AK" on the door.

The burly guy opened the door for Julia, who then realized her dad wasn't with them. She explained this to the officer who said he'd go find him and that AK would be there in any minute, so Julia settled into one of the couches in the fairly barren dressing room.

The door opened a few minutes later, revealing an average-heighth, very pretty woman with short, red-brown hair dressed in ripped jeans and a navy blazer. Julia's smile widened about a mile and Ashley smiled back.

"Hi," Ashley said, extending her hand to Julia who took it, nervously, "I'm AK."

"Yeah," Julia responded, "I know." Then Ashley laughed, and Julia visibly relaxed, "I'm Julie Mason."

Ashley slid into the seat across from Julia, pulling a bar of chocolate from her blazer pocket and kicking off her red kitten heels, sitting indian style.

"Want some?" She questioned, brandishing the bar to Julia who declined it. Ashley shrugged, "They say it's like, the worst possible thing I can eat before a show. But I just don't think I could make it without it." She smiled and Julia laughed softly.

"My dad will want some, trust me. He came with me, only he got lost somewhere and the guards are off finding him. But that's so something he'd do, he's such a weirdo."

"But that's why you love him?" Ashley said.

"Oh, yeah."

"My dad's a little strange, too... you might not know this, but he's gay."

"Really?"

"Really really. I've learned they leave that out of most of those teen magazine articles."

"Guess so," Julia sighed.

"So my parents got divorced when I was in middle school."

Somehow talking to this amazingly famous woman should have intimidated her immensely, but Julia felt the words falling easily. There was a comfort in this place, something unexpected but not unappreciated.

"Yeah, I live with my dad because my mom passed away when I was really little."

Ashley grimaced, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, it sucks, but my dad's great."

"What about a stepmom?"

"No. My dad's dated a couple women, but to be honest they're all..."

"Bimbos?" Ashley finished her statement for her.

Julia laughed, "Yeah, actually."

"I know the feeling. My mom dated around for a little while after the divorce, but they were all jerks. Finally she found Jeff..."

- -

Gavin had gotten lost early on, but it didn't take the security officer to find him and direct him to the dressing room. He knocked on the door and Julia rose to answer it, being closest to the door, and Ashley rose behind her.

"Hey, sugar, the found me."

He said to Julia and then closed the door behind him, turning to face the singer he'd heard so much about. His eyes widened as he saw the recognizable face. Ashley made a shocked noise as her eyebrows knitted together. They both interrupted Julia's introduction at the same time.

_"Spinner!"_

_"Ashley!"_


	4. I'll come back and beat you up

There's a moment of silence as the scalding eyes are locked, disbelief edged on their faces.

"I can't believe this!" Ashley says, turning from him. "I told them to make sure the winner wasn't from Degrassi!"

"She's not! We moved away!"

"You did?" Ashley questioned, taken aback.

"You'd know that if you hadn't skipped out of Degrassi in grade 11!"

"I told everyone I was going to London! Not to mention I had a career to start!"

"Which involves shunning the rest of the world you know?"

"Right, and you were just _Mister Highschool _at that time. You weren't even at Ellie's wedding! And here I had heard that you and Jimmy had somehow mended things between yourselves!"

"They didn't have our address!"

"Why? Did she just forget or did you skip out of Degrassi as well?"

"Don't be such a --"

"DAD!" Julia exclaimed, jumping between the two. They paused, studying one another then looking back down at Julia, who couldn't look more confused. "What the _heck _is going on?"

"Julie, this is Ashley Kerwin," he said and Ashley rolled her eyes, "Someone I used to know."

Julia criss-crossed her eyebrows in knitted confusion, "Then why are you being so mean? I mean, when you saw Jimmy and those other people you weren't ... like this."

"You saw Jimmy? How was Ellie? Did you see her?" Ashley said, hungry for news about her best friend, and turning to Gavin with a curious look rather than her previous angry one.

"You should know, since you've already said you're so informed. You _did _go to their wedding, afterall," he responded sarcastically, and Julia slapped his arm. Gavin took a deep breath, "She's fine," he continued, "They have twins."

Ashley was about to respond when the head of her stage manager popped in, "Sorry to break up your get-together, but you're needed backstage."

Ashley looked back at the two in the room then forward to the woman in the doorway, telling Julia goodbye and adding a bitter goodbye to Gavin, who returned it in the same tone.

- -

"Who was that?" The lady hissed excitedly to Ashley as they made their way to the stage.

"Just that girl's dad," she said with a sigh.

The stage manager smiled, "He's really cute!"

- -

Meanwhile, in the dressing room, Julia was pacing in circles back and forth.

_"You?" _She questioned her father in half-disbelief, "You know AK?"

"I _did." _

"Oh that's a load of crap," she said, and he looked taken aback by her words, "I mean, how do you know someone in the past tense?"

"Oh," he said, "Trust me. It's possible."

"Fine," she said, exasperated, "Let's go watch the concert." And Gavin followed her to the side stage to watch Ashley perform.

- -

_"You spin, spin, spin me / into dizzy circles of insanity / and you cling, cling, cling to her / as I stumble through the water / the hard times just bring you down / you hold on to her, I frown / you may not know it / but you're watching me drown. Yeah, you're watching me drown."_

Gavin always knew Ashley was a very good performer - she had played piano since she was eight - but as she sang her heart out with it on stage, he had a newfound respect for her performing abilities. No longer was she a brooding goth, singing about darkness but rather more light-hearted, less doe-eyed, and more relatable to teens. He could see clearly why she sold - plus the fact she had an amazing voice.

As the last note of the final song was struck, the crowd was up to a roar. Ashley was beaming, dripping in exhausted sweat. She passed backstage, the managers clapping and congradulating her. One dipped her in a low hug and she smiled. Her blazer had been taken off in the middle of the concert so she was wearing a navy-blue wifebeater and the jeans, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. She and Julia chatted amicably til they reached the dressing room.

"Well, this is where I stop," she said, "But I'm so wired!"

"Well, do you want to go get some icecream with us?" Gavin asked her and she studied him quizically before nodding in response, then explaining she had to change. The door shut behind her and Julia turned to her father, a smirk on her face.

"You like her!" She whispered.

"I do not! This isAshley Kerwin," he responded sensibly.

"Right, that excuse would have passed when you all were in highschool but now she's a _big celebrity_."

Gavin rolled his eyes and Ashley reappeared from the dressing room, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt with her hair fastened into a ponytail.

"Let's go!" She said, and the trio made their way to the Mason's car.


End file.
